Antiseptic attachment for telephone-mouthpieces.



PATENTED OCT. 25, 1904. G. E. GRIMM. ANTISEPTIO ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONE MOUTHPIEGBS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

Gerhard/1i. (Irvin/77 Warn ammo UNITED STATES Patented October 25, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH J. SLEEPER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ANTISEPTIC ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONE-MOUTHPIECES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. "273,286, dated October 25, 1904. Application filed Tilly 25, 1904. Serial No. 217,976. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GERHARDT E. GRIMM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oollingswood, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Antiseptic Attachments for Telephone-Mouthpieces, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to antiseptic covers or protectors for the mouthpieces of telephones or other speech-transmitting instruments; and it has for its object to provide a device of this character that will be simple in construction, effective in operation, and very inexpensive to manufacture.

It is awell-recognized fact that certain contagious diseases are often transmitted from one person to another through the mouthpieces or transmitters of telephones and other speech-conveying instruments by a variety of bacteria being deposited therein through the constant interuse of such instruments, and it is the purpose of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive contrivance for preventing the spread of contagious diseases in this manner.

I am aware that variously-constructed antiseptic devices for telephone-transmitters have heretofore been patented; but these devices have not, so far as I am aware, gone into general use, chiefly for the reason that they are either too expensive or else they interfere with the transmission of speech.

The prime object of this invention is to provide an antiseptic disk or cover for the mouthpieces of telephones thatcan be manufactured and sold so cheap as to be within the reach of all users of telephones and which will in no manner interfere with the transmission of 1 speech.

A further and important object of the invention is to provideadevice of the character described that may be packed and shipped and also carried in the pocket perfectly flat, was to occupy little or. no space, and which may be readily and quickly applied to and removed from the telephone-mouthpiece.

A still further purpose of the invention is to provide a device of the kind referred to having sufiicient surface area to receive advertising matter whereby the device may be employed as an advertising medium in addition to its other and more important functions.

Briefly and generally stated, the invention comprises two annuli or other similarlyshaped disks of relatively stiff paper or similar material, between which is secured a disk or sheet of tissue-paper, gauze, or other thin fibrous material treated with an antiseptic solution, one of said annuli being provided with integral tongues that normally lie in the same plane therewith, but which may be readily bent outward at an angle thereto, so as to form resilient attaching means, whereby the device can be quickly attached to or removed from the mouthpiece of a telephone.

In order to enable others to understand, make, and use my said invention, I will now proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being had for this purpose to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I is a view of the mouthpiece of a telephone, showing my attachment applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a perspective view looking at the rear face of the attachment, the attachingtongues being bent outward in the position they assume when the device is in position on a telephone-transmitter. Fig. 3 is a plan view looking at the front face of the attachment. Fig. 4: is a similar view of the rear face thereof. Fig. 5' is asectional view of the device. Fig. 6 is an edge view of the various parts of the device shown separated.

In constructing my invention I cut or stamp from a sheet of relatively stiff paper or other suitable material a disk or annulus 1, whose opening 2 is preferably slightly smaller than the maximum diameter of the mouthpieceopening of the telephone, although the size of this opening 2 may vary to suit. In all cases, however, I prefer to make the disk or annulus sufliciently wide to receive on its face printed advertisements, and the device may then be used as an advertising medium.

To the rear side of the disk or annulus 1 I attach a sheet or disk of tissue-paper, gauze, or other suitable fibrous material 3 that has been previously treated with an antiseptic solution or substance, said antiseptic disk sheet 3 covering the opening 2 in the disk or annulus 1, as shown. I. then cut or stamp from a sheet of paper, thin cardboard, orothcr comparatively stifl material a second disk or annulus 4, which is preferably, but not necessarily, of the same shape and dimensions as the disk or annulus l. Extending outward from the inner edge of the opening 5 in the annulus & is a plurality of pairs of parallel slits or cuts 6, the slits of each pair slightly separated to provide between them an inwardly-extending tongue 7, said tongues constituting the means for attaching the device to the mouthpiece 8 of a telephone, as more clearly shown in Fig. 1. In the present instancel have shown the disk or annulus 4 as provided with three tongues 7; but I do not wish to be limited to this number, as I may employ a greater or less number, as de slred. As more clearly shown in the drawings, each of the tongues 7 projects for a slight distance beyond the inner edge of the opening 5. This is of advantage, since it permits of the free ends of the tongues being easily engaged by the finger when it is desired to bend them forward in position to be attached to a mouthpiece.

The disk or annulus 4:, after being formed, is pasted or otherwise secured to the rear side of the the disk or annulus 1, so that it will cover the attached portions of the antiseptic disk or sheet 3, and the article is then complete and ready for use.

In its normal condition the entire device is perfectly fiat, as will be seen, the tongues nor mally lying in the plane of the disk or annulus from which they are struck. This permits of a number of the articles being compactly packed, so that they will occupy but a small space, or, if desired, a single article may be conveniently carried by the user in his card-case or in an envelop, and thus be ready for immediate use whenever desired.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise manner of forming and arranging the attaching-tongues as herein shown, as they may be otherwise formed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Likewise I do not wish to limit myself to a circular disk or annulus, for it will be obvious that I. may make the same rectangular or of other shape. In fact, where a greater advertising-space is desired it will be preferable to make the disks or annuli of rectangular configuration.

1n the accompanying drawings and in the foregoing description 1 have shown and described what 1 consider the preferable way of constructing the device; but it will be obvious that changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For

instance, 1 may employ only one disk or annulus, like that shown in Fig. 4, and attach or I the antiseptic sheet or disk 3 direct to the face of this, thus dispensing with one of the disks or annuli. This would reduce the cost to some little extent, but would not give so neat an appearance to the device as where the two disks or annuli are employed.

By constructing the tongues as shown the device may be secured to mouthpieees of varying sizes, and owing to the fact that the tongues have a certain amount of resiliency or spring they will tightly embrace the mouthpiece, and thus hold the device firmly in position.

By the term annulus as employed in this specification and in the appended claims I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to a circular or ring-like body, as this term is used in a broader sense to mean a disk or sheet of any configuration having an opening therethrough.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Adeviceof thecharacterdescribed, comprising a disk having an opening there through, a thin sheet of antiseptic material secured to the face of the disk and covering the opening, and a plurality of relatively narrow resilient integral tongues carried by the disk, the point of attachment of each tongue being within the marginal edge of the disk and the free end of each tongue extending inwardly.

2. A device of the character described, comprising two disks each having an opening theretln'ough, said disks being secured together face to face with an interposed sheet of antiseptic material covering the disk-openings, and a plurality of pairs of slits in one of the disks, said slits extending outward from the edge of the disk-opening and terminating at a point between said opening and the perimeter of the disk, the material between the pairs of slits forming resilient tongues that normally lie in the plane of the disk from which they are formed and the base of each tongue being within the marginal edge of the disk.

3. A device of the characterdescribed, comprising an annulus having a plurality of relatively narrow resilient tongues struck from the body of the annulus at points within the perimeter thereof, saidtongucs normally ly ing in the plane of the annulus and having their free ends extending inward beyond the edge of the annulus-opening, and a thin sheet of antiseptic material secured to the face of the annulus and covering the said opening.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GERHARDT E. GRIMM. Vitnesses:

SAMUEL R. REED, JosErn J. SLEEPER.

ICC 

